My Pen Is the Wing of a Bird: New Fiction by Afghan Women
A Sakharov Prize event
The rapid seizure of Afghanistan by Taliban forces in August 2021 raised grave fears of a return to patterns of human rights violations previously witnessed in the country from 1996 to 2001. Even after 2001, violence against women and girls continued on a large scale and remained chronically under-reported, but now that the Taliban has barred all women from participation in government, the situation has degraded further.
In September 2021, a group of 11 prominent Afghan women received nomination for the Sakharov Prize. These women have been actively engaged in the fight for their rights, education and inclusion in the construction of Afghan society. They come from different ethnic backgrounds but are united in their mutual cause of defending human rights, in particular the rights of women, focusing on the political, educational, civil and cultural spheres.
The European Parliament seeks to maintain the Afghan women’s situation high on the EU and international agenda, and this event will have at its heart a remarkable anthology of short stories by contemporary Afghan women writers – My Pen Is the Wing of a Bird, New Fiction by Afghan Women, which is the first of its kind in translation, from Dari and Pashto. Since the Taliban takeover, and with the regression of women’s rights and status within the Afghan society, these stories have a particular resonance. Join us to explore these women’s stories at this critical juncture in Afghanistan.
Copies of My Pen Is the Wing of a Bird will be available on the night.
Venue: Europe House and online. PLEASE express your preference in the registration form.
